CFO C. Michael Rutherford: Boosting Business Operations for the Buckeyes

With more than 30 years of experience in healthcare finance, C. Michael Rutherford has helped numerous health systems remain fiscally viable, and for the past year, he has been the CFO of the Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University in Columbus — one of the largest academic medical centers in the country.

When he was first hired as CFO at Wexner Medical Center, many within the organization considered him to be one of the top financial healthcare advisors in the field. "A search committee spent months looking at several of the country's top financial strategists, and the members were very excited after talking to Michael," said Steven Gabbe, MD, CEO of Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center, after Mr. Rutherford was hired. "He has very impressive experience and is certainly a rising star in his field."

Mr. Rutherford oversees all financial management at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center, which is no small task. In fiscal year 2011, the health system had operating revenue of roughly $1.79 billion and provided more than $177 million in community benefits. Last year, Wexner Medical Center's total research funding also increased to $291.8 million, a 121 percent increase from FY 2006.

Before taking the reins of CFO at Wexner Medical Center, Mr. Rutherford served as CFO of Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, for 10 years. He also worked in financial and executive roles at Cleveland-based Sisters of Charity Health System for nine years. Some of those positions included CFO and CEO of the Cleveland market and CFO of 476-bed Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio.